The new budget cuts about 10 jobs in the Student and Family Support Centers. The cuts are extremely sensitive, since the centers provide what is widely recognized as much-needed mental health counseling and guidance for city students.
Cost of War The following people have been killed in the City of Rochester in recent weeks. -- Timothy Woods, aka Fatima Woods, 53, Rochester. ROCHESTER TOTALS —
Rochester Police Department SOURCE:
AFGHANISTAN TOTALS —
EDUCATION | BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
MONEY | BY JEREMY MOULE
Budget hangover
Buying power
Compared to some past budget deliberations, the city school district’s budget for 2013 to 2014 passed without much fuss. But to close a $50.2 million budget gap, Superintendent Bolgen Vargas made a cut that has some students, teachers, and parents worried. Even some board members are apprehensive about the cuts they approved. The new budget cuts about 10 jobs in the Student and Family Support Centers to save slightly more than $1 million. The cuts are extremely sensitive, since the centers provide what is widely recognized as much-needed mental health counseling and guidance for city students. According to a year-end report from the department, the center’s counselors and social workers saw more than 5,000 students in the 2011 to 2012 school year. In some schools like East High, more than 40 percent of the students received support. Large numbers of Charlotte, Douglass, and Franklin students were seen, too. The issues of greatest concern to students, the report says, were academic problems, relationships, and family matters. But the counselors worked with students on everything from anger management to teen pregnancy and parenting. There’s also a strong correlation between mental health support and improved academic
A new report from the New York Public Interest Research Group says that state legislators representing the Rochester region relied heavily on campaign donations from lobbying and special interest groups in 2012. | The report says the 18 legislators representing counties in the Rochester region brought in $2.1 million from lobbying firms and their clients, business groups, trade associations, union political action committees, and nonprofits. The analysis includes districts in Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne counties, according to a NYPIRG press release. | NYPIRG says it’s not implying “a causeand-effect relationship between campaign donations and legislative or other government action.” | But the contributions do help donors gain access to elected officials. And that means legislators may get to hear an interest’s side of an issue, but not an average constituent’s opinion. | Industry and interest groups also tend to contribute heavily to the chairs of legislative committees dealing with legislation that affects them. | NYPIRG and other good government groups are pushing state legislators to adopt a public campaign finance system. They see a system with publicly funded matching contributions for candidates who collect small donations as a way to counter the influence of large donors.
achievement. The report shows that 78 percent of lowperforming students who received help improved enough to be promoted to the next grade or graduate. There are 16 Bolgen Vargas. centers located in FILE PHOTO school health clinics throughout the district, and most of the services are provided by professionals associated with community agencies. District officials say the cuts are not to the programs or the professional staff who treat students. It’s the coordinators’ positions, the professionals who link and refer students to the specific agencies that were cut. “The change is in how the students are connected to the agencies that help them,” said district spokesperson Chip Partner in a written statement. “They will be referred by school social workers and counselors or [students will] approach the providers directly.” Partner says there has never been a question about the need for the services or the work the staff does. It comes down to money, he says.
2,229 US servicemen and servicewomen and 1,091 Coalition servicemen and servicewomen have been killed in Afghanistan from the beginning of the war and occupation to June 3. Statistics for Afghan civilian casualties are not available. American casualties from May 16 to June 1: -- Spc. Christopher R. Drake, 20, Tickfaw, La. -- Staff Sgt. Joe A. Nunezrodriguez, 29, Pasadena, Texas. -- Spc. Ray A. Ramirez, 20, Sacramento, Calif. -- Spc. Kyle P. Stoeckli, 21, Moseley, Va. -- Pfc. Mariano M. Raymundo, 21, Houston, Texas. iraqbodycount. org, icasualties.org, Department of Defense SOURCES:
Cycling on a personal level
“MOST USER FRIENDLY
BIKE SHOP” – CITY NEWSPAPER
Great Service • The Best Advice No Pressure • No “Attitude”
Experienced Mechanic/Wheelbuilder Find us on
Bicycle Store and Repair Center
1757 Mt. Hope Ave (next to Rowe) 473-3724 • freewheelersbikes.com rochestercitynewspaper.com
CITY 5